


Snapshots

by OneOddKitteh



Series: A Dreamer's History [1]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Coma, Poor Arthur, Regret, arthur misses mal, model Mal, photographer Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-21
Updated: 2013-06-21
Packaged: 2017-12-15 15:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/851252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneOddKitteh/pseuds/OneOddKitteh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal is in a coma and Arthur is full of regret</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshots

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> This wasn't originally written for the fandom, but it made me sad and I got feels

We met on the first day of kindergarten. Her name was Mal and she was the sort of kid that everyone knew would grow up to be someone important. She was pretty enough to be a model even, with dark curls and gorgeous, chocolate eyes. Her laugh was bubbly and infectious; her smile brightened everyone’s days. Especially mine. Her little French accent made the most mundane words vibrant and colourful. Now here she was, sick, dying even, yet still with that smile on her face. My Mal. My best friend. Ignoring the sound of the life support machine, I put my head in my hands and thought back to when everything was alright. Remembering the good times because I didn’t understand how it could ever be good again.

 

Mal on our first day of kinder, smiling as she stepped in between me and the people who’d already decided to pick on me. Making me feel instantly better, with a smile and a:

“Hello, will you be my friend? We have the same colour lunchbox!”

 

Mal in grade three, letting me take the credit for researching our project topic when I had been sick and hadn’t had time to do it.

 

Mal turning around and slapping a boy when he called me four eyes in grade five, cussing him out in angry French and spending the rest of lunch break telling me I was perfect and was going to be famous one day.

 

Mal giving me my first camera for my birthday in grade seven, when she knew my parents couldn’t afford one and then letting me take photos of her all the time.

Mal letting me stay at her house and cry myself to sleep, night after night on her shoulder when my parents split up.

 

Mal encouraging me to ask Eames on a date in grade ten, her big smile when I told her he said yes and her happiness doing my hair and make up for every date I went on. Her grin when she helped him organize our one year anniversary surprise.

 

Mal’s sure, content face when she told me she knew she was going to marry her boyfriend, Dominic, one day.

 

Mal, Mal, Mal. She was the girl who had helped me through the years, when everything had seemed too hard. Lying here, looking so frail and pitiful, all because of me. My stupidity! It was my fault! Tears slipped from my eyes, and I leaned my head onto her arm, squeezing her hand tight. Torturing myself, the way I deserved, I remembered how she had gotten here.

 

“We’re here Mal! Quick, Let’s go!”

I unclipped her seatbelt for her and clambered over her to get out of the car. It was the first day of our round the world trip, the trip we’d been dreaming of since we were little kids. Of course, there were things we hadn’t planned. Her being a model, my being a photographer. But I knew it would be amazing. Truly extraordinary, just like everything we did together.

“Figures, we’re late for the first flight aren’t we,” Mal mumbled. “You take ages to get up Arthur.”

 I already had our suitcases out of the taxi, along with my camera equipment.

“Shut up, at least when I’m awake I stay awake!” I joked with a smirk. I turned at a tap on the shoulder, to see a man in a starchy looking suit.

“Mr. Cobb? I’m here to take you into the airport so you don’t get mobbed.” I almost winced at his official sounding tone, but held it in.

“No, I’m Mrs. Cobb’s photographer, Arthur Whyte. That’s her getting out of the car there.”

I did wince as he then walked straight over to Mol’, and ushered her towards a black stretch limo. Totally snobbing me. What an arse, I thought to myself. Eames would’ve laughed at my face, telling me to ‘suck it up darling, she’s the VIP.’

“I’ll be right back to help with your equipment Mr. Whyte;” He threw back to me.

I saw Mal’s startled glare at his rudeness, and I also saw another black car pull up. Containing our manager. So who was he?

“Shit- Mal!”

She had already been shoved in the car, and before I could drop the bags and run to her, the driver had pulled away with a screech. Too late, the smell of burnt tires seemed to mock. Too late, Arthur.

 

“I’m so sorry I took so long to get up Mal. I’m sorry I didn’t realize that Saito wouldn’t send a stranger to pick you up. I’m sorry for not coming to help you when they held you for ransom. I’m sorry for being so stupid and jealous of you those times, when I saw you with Dom, when I saw your family and how good your life seemed. You deserved someone better as a best friend Mal’. I’m just so, so sorry about everything, but I can’t tell you. They said you’ll never wake up.”

I just kept my head down, sobbing. A soft squeeze on my hand made me sob harder. My head whipped up, tear streaked and ugly in my shame, I faced the sleeping angels face.

“It’s not your fault Arthur, keep your chin up. They don’t know how hard I fight. Go home, to Eames. He’ll take care of you.” Her soft smile lit up my world again.

 

She wasn’t awake, but she would be soon.


End file.
